The present invention relates generally to locker and similar storage compartments and, more particularly, to a restricted access storage compartment particularly suited for storing evidence and/or weapons that includes a housing-carried locking mechanism adapted to prevent access to the storage compartment once the locking mechanism is actuated.
Evidence lockers, and similar types of storage compartments, such as property lockers, are commonly used by law enforcement organizations to store evidence, e.g., weapons, contraband, documents, etc. To limit access to the evidence and therefore preserve the chain of custody, a locked evidence locker is designed to be inaccessible by anyone other than an authorized officer, such as a property officer or evidence room clerk. Generally, there are two types of evidence lockers: key and keyless. With a keyed evidence locker, the property officer must use a key to open the front of the evidence locker and gain access to the materials stored therein. With a keyless evidence locker, a rear panel of the locker may be opened to access the interior of the storage compartment rather than opening the front of the locker. Keyless evidence lockers are used when the rear of the locker may be accessed from within a property or evidence room yet the front of the locker may only be accessed from outside the property room. Generally, such keyless evidence lockers are stacked and effectively form part of the wall of the property room. In contrast, keyed evidence lockers are stacked against, rather than forming part of, a wall of the property room.
In general, when evidence is to be placed into an evidence locker, a law enforcement officer, court official, or evidence clerk will place the evidence inside an opened locker. A locking mechanism carried by the door of the locker is then actuated, such as by a push button, to lock the door of the locker to the frame of the locker. The locker will remain locked until unlocked by an authorized evidence clerk or property officer.
Numerous advancements have been made in improving the design and functionality of evidence locker and similar restricted access storage compartment. These advancements have included improving the strength of the locker as well as the construction of the locking mechanism in an effort to make the locker more tamper-proof. Notwithstanding these advancements, there remains a need to further improve the design of both keyed and keyless lockers. There is particularly a need to design an evidence locker that can be more efficiently manufactured without sacrificing the performance of the evidence locker.